SCHENECTADY COUTNY – County Legislator Angelo Santabarbara today announced his “Fiscal Responsibility Plan” following the proposed 12.9% tax increase in the 2009 Schenectady County Budget. "Legislators across the state, at every level, must start working for the people and not their own pocket and political interests." stated Santabarbara. Santabarbara is intends to fight for a reduction of salaries and/or benefits for elected officials, to decrease patronage jobs, and place term limits on elected officials. “The people we represent have asked us for relief. Now, as their elected representatives it’s our job to find a way to deliver that relief”, said Santabarbara.
First, legislators should view their role as a public service, not a money-making venture for themselves. Taxpayers are being laid off and losing their homes, the least elected officials could do is take something of a pay-cut. Second, patronage jobs doled out by political parties for their own interests, are largely responsible for the current budget problems throughout the state. Finally, term limits would reduce the motivation for politicians to serve their own interests. Elected officials are spending millions of dollars throughout the state to constantly secure their re-elections. Time and money should be spent helping the taxpayers, not building re-election machines to secure the office as a lifetime entitlement.
“The entire country is feeling the results of governmental mismanagement", said Santabarbara. “We should be looking for ways to cut spending so we can reduce property taxes on overburdened homeowners, not increase them. The message from the people is clear, tax relief should be our number one priority, not frivolous spending".
and you wonder why I was so mad at Suhrad for trying to beat Ang to the punch after all these years Joe S never says anything constructive and now when Angelo come ups with a plan he trys to steal his ideas and get them in the paper a week before but unlike Mr Santabarbara he doesnt have the class and he insults the workers of the county and the people by calling us 3rd world so he should learn to shut up along with Mr Robert F over there and let Angelo get the work done because with Angelos plan and his charm the demos will compromise and it just may save us taxpayers millions to have the right guy do the talking over there.
Good ideas Ang and long over due. However, my prayers are with you when trying to pass this through the democratic machine.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
We all know that Shadow but he needs to keep plugging along and not give up. To do anything different would be a disservice to us as residents of the county. Atleast someone is fighting for us.
Where's the Farley's, Tedisco, Amedore, Buhrmaster, Shurada, Tommasone, Signore, Mertz, Parisi, the Conservative Party if they truly are conservative, and the rest of the County Republicans, who's platform used to be fiscally responsible and smaller government.
The County Republicans can't unite behind a unified message. Every Republican/Conservative are out for themselves, protecting their own seats and pushing their own agendas.
Angelo stuck his neck out with this proposal, now watch his fellow Republicans turn their backs on him by sitting silent, and not echoing those same sentiments. Just like Tedisco and Farley did when the County Republican legislators were opposed to the Metroplex cap increase. Tedisco submarined them in a back room closed door deal with Savage, pushing through the cap increase before the state legislators went on recess.
Absolutely Cicero- those guys are NOT backing him up and for this reason the news is that he may soon become an independent and break away from the repubs who want to do nothing but spend more and raise the taxes over here. I am excited about the news I got this morning from some of the guys telling me he ie ready to switch because the other losers are hiding again and not backing him up. Where is Farley and the rest? They are under a rock covered in the slime trying to save the patronage for the other repubs. Tommasone is hiding too and they will all be wiped up and crushed in the tidal wave for the demos this year and next but ANGELO will be revoted in as an independent
Quoted from Salvatore: ... the news is that he may soon become an independent and break away from the repubs who want to do nothing but spend more and raise the taxes over here. I am excited about the news I got this morning from some of the guys telling me he ie ready to switch because the other losers are hiding again and not backing him up.
I spoke w/ Angelo early this afternoon. He informed me that there is no truth to Sal's "news". Angelo is not entertaining switching his party enrollment to Independent or any other affiliation. Sal, you need to understand that several of us know Angelo personally and are proud to call him a friend. We get our information from the source.
Well,,regardless of what Sal says/does....Ang maybe the only one to take the 'bull by the horns'......the rest of the 'lifers' are squirming and leaning on their own closet doors so nothing falls out......Georgie seems to be a horn taker too.....time will tell.....lets see how the populace 'feels' at election time.........all those 'lifers' have been in while this mess has been filling their closets------AND THEY KNEW ABOUT IT..................
OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
SCHENECTADY COUNTY Legislator: Trim county salaries first GOP idea gets no leadership support BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Angelo Santabarbara said he wouldn’t mind taking a cut to the salary he earns as Schenectady County legislator. In fact, the first-term Republican legislator from Rotterdam is suggesting that all his colleagues have their salaries trimmed to help diminish spending in the county’s 2009 budget. He said the gesture would at least show the public that county officials understand the difficult economic position they are facing and are willing to chip in themselves. “It’s a great way in these tough times to show we’re working for the public,” he said Thursday. Pay cuts for legislators are among a number of initiatives Santabarbara plans to introduce to help reduce the proposed 12.9 percent county tax increase projected last week. He’s also suggesting an elimination of any pay raises for the county’s non-union jobs, a re-evaluation of “patronage jobs” added to the county roll over the past year and the establishing of a term limit for legislators. Santabarbara said he plans to discuss these reductions during the three upcoming budget committee discussions this month. He intends to propose limiting legislative terms as a separate resolution later this year. “Times are just tough right now,” he said. “These are drastic times and we’ve got to change the way we’ve been doing things.” Legislators now earn $14,093 per year and are entitled to the same benefit packages as other county employees. The Legislature’s majority leader, minority leader, vice chairman and deputy chairman all earn $15,499 annually. Chairwoman Susan Savage is the highest paid legislator, with a salary of $16,499. Vince DiCerbo, D-Schenectady, characterized Santabarbara’s idea to cut legislator salaries as shortsighted and having a negligible impact on the budget. He said even cutting the salaries out altogether would only shave a fraction of a percentage of the tax increase. “They’re nice for talking points,” he said. “But they don’t do anything to address the structure of what the county is facing.” Savage, D-Niskayuna, bristled at Santabarbara’s proposals. She said his proposal wouldn’t have much of any impact on the budget and seemed like more of an attempt at “getting his name in the paper than accomplishing goals.” Savage also contested whether the county budget is weighted with “exempt employees” or the positions Santabarbara referred to as patronage jobs. She said nearly all these jobs were awarded by Republicans when that party controlled the Legislature.
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